WHEAT AND FLOUR PRICES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 233, 14 September 1922, Page 5

WHEAT AND FLOUR PRICES.

HUMOURS DEALT WITH. BY MINISTER IN THE HOUSE. (Special to “Tribune.”) Parliament Buildings, Sept. 13. The allegations made at a meeting of the Dominion executive of the Farmers’ Union that a combination is being formed to force up flour prices, were mentioned, in the House this afternoon by Mr. Kitchener (Waitara) who suggested that the Minister of Agriculture should make a statement to allay the fears of the public. The Hpn. W. Nos worthy said such allegations would only result in surrounding the wheat question with a political atmosphere. The formation of a Flourmillers’ Association might be in process, or it might not, but that was entirely outside the province of the Government at the present time, and in any case such a move could not affect the price of flour for the maximum price was' being fixed by the Board of Trade. If such an association took advantage of the opportunity to raise the prices a year hence, it would then be time enough for the Government to meet the position. The Gov- ’ ernment controlled the wheat at the mills for milling prices, and mills could not alter them without Government sanction. A statement had been made that he had said Mr. McDonald, of the Board of Trade, was to be secretary ot the Flourmillers’ Association, but he had made no such statement. Personally he did not know whether Mr. McDonald was to lie the secretary or ■ not, but he did say that when Mr. j McDonald had finished with the Wheat • Control Board, or even before, it was his own business to say* whether he would accept the position or not. The i Government had not intimated that it ’ was dissaffected with the work of Mr. ! McDonald. There were a great many ■ other statements made at the meeting, j Theje was one to the effect that the Government had made £250,000 out of wheat. “I only wish that Sve had. I can assure you that if the Government makes anything at all the consumers of this Dominion will get it back, but we don’t want to make anything; we want to square ourselves, and that is what we are trying to do under very difficult conditions.” Mr. Nosworthv added that another statement had been to the effect that the price was being fixed by tjie association to secure a profit of £1 per ton, but that was impossible before the Government released its control, and before it did so the Government would have to be satisfied the producers and consumers were getting a fair deal. In the meantime the Government controlled all wheat [ln reference to the above it is of interest to note exchanges state that in Christchurch a company has been registered to take over the control of the distribution of flour and milling products within the Dominion. It is freely stated that Mr W. G. McDonald (chairman of the Board of Trade) will act as general manager. The company is named the Distributors, Ltd., and it embodies a scheme of trading which some years before the war was carried out by the New Zealand Flourmillers’ Association. The capital of the company is £50,000, divided into 5000 shares of £lO each. Shares are held by the following:—Messrs 11. Wood (five), J. Rennie (Christchurch, 189), J. C. Young (Palmerston North, one). R. K. Ireland (Oamaru, 255). C. M. Archer (Southland. 84), W. Evans (Timaru, 272), J. H. Holdgate (Timaru, 140), R. Hudson (Timaru. five), and C. H. Lough (Dunedin, 100). The declared objects of the company are to manufacture, buy, sell, ami deal in flour, oatmeal .ami other products of milling and cereals and gen-eral-1 1.